Monday, August 10, 2009

How fun it always is to have you come visit! Oh, how it made me smile that you wanted to use these...

Me and your momma used to sleep in sponge rollers every Saturday night so we would have just the right curls for Sunday church! Before and after pics:But in true fickle-fashion, Bri decided she wanted hers straight after all:Seeing you two play together and squabble with each other makes me remember being your age so much! There are so many things I wish I could freeze for you right now. So many things you know right now, that I hope you hold on to as you grow into young women:

You are beautiful. You flip your hair over shoulder with sass, you pile the jewelry on because it makes you feel pretty, you apply the lip gloss and smile, and you prance in high heels like you own the place. You think you're beautiful. YOU ARE. One day some girls are going to make you doubt that. They'll say something ugly about you, and you'll believe it. Someday you'll meet a boy who does not deserve you. You'll wonder if you should change something about yourself because of him. But the biggest enemy you'll probably meet someday is yourself. You'll tell yourself ridiculous things like your hair is ugly, your cheeks are chubby, your thighs are too big (or too little). It's all lies. None of it's true. You are beautiful.

Life's not fair. Oh, how youmany times I've heard you say this! And guess what? You're right! Life's not fair. Sometimes bad things happen to good people. Sometimes the person who tries the hardest loses. Sometimes cheaters win. But...that doesn't mean you stop trying, stop doing your best, or stop doing the right thing because it's the right thing to do. That will develop character and integrity. And I hope you develop loads and loads of it.

Pray for others. You have the sweetest prayers imaginable, you love to pray for others, and once someone gets on your list, they stay on it. Your life will be rich if you continue this.

There's nothing like family. You're crazy about your momma and daddy. You love your bubba. You drive each other crazy, but you look out for each other and miss each other when you're apart. You think your Mimi and Pop hung the moon. You have so much fun with your cousins. One day too soon, your friends and school activities will take up a big place in your heart--a place that used to be reserved for family only. You'll think your parents don't know what they're talking about, and that friends are more fun than your brother and sister and cousins. You'll come around eventually, but until then, always remember that there's no love like your momma's and daddy's, there's no loyalty like a sibling's, and there's no friend like a sister.